Editorial: In praise of ... adjusted medal tables

Serious students of social policy know that what you get out of a league table depends on what you put into it. When school results are adjusted for local demographics, inner-city institutions that started bottom of the pile can soar to the top flight of the league. Everything depends on what you adjust for - and how you adjust; a big drawback for public managers seeking an objective gauge of performance. Happily, there are no such qualms in sport, and variations on the theme of the Olympic medal table are making winners out of just about everyone. We all know China gobbled up most gold, but it fielded a big team: the few Uzbek competitors walked away with most gongs per head. Some states have few people to choose their teams from - adjust for population and the Bahamas grab the top spot. If you think money looms too large in sport, adjust for GDP. Doing so allows impoverished North Korea to emerge as a surprise world-beater. European idealists will enjoy discovering a combined EU team could have outgunned mighty China, but will be less comfortable with high-Tory claims a reunited British Empire could have fared better still. It is even more uncomfortable to find out that population adjustment allows the Australians to overturn their pasting by the more populous poms. But when Team GB fared so well in the table that counts, magnanimity is required. From one point of view or another, everybody has won, and all must have prizes. Thanks to reranking, everybody is getting them.